My stay here was
good, we book this hotel to relax and to get some good night
sleep. The place was clean, good service and even with a
open pool on the top floor.

KOH SAMUI INFORMATIONS
Ko Samui island of Surat Thani Province (or
Koh Samui, Thai: ŗ°“– Ńō¬, ), or often,
simply Samui as it is referred to by locals,
is an island off the east coast of the Kra
Isthmus in Thailand, close to the mainland
Surat Thani town. It is Thailand's third
largest island, with an area of 228.7 km2
and a population of over 50,000 (2008). It
is rich with natural resources, white sandy
beaches, coral reefs and coconut trees.

History

The island was probably first inhabited
about 15 centuries ago, settled by fishermen
from the Malay Peninsula[1] and Southern
China. It appears on Chinese maps dating
back to 1687, under the name Pulo Cornam.
The name Samui is mysterious in itself.
Perhaps it is an extension of the name of
one of the native trees, mui, or from the
Chinese word Saboey, meaning "safe haven".
Ko is the Thai word for "island."

Until the late 20th century, Ko Samui was an
isolated self-sufficient community, having
little connection with the mainland of
Thailand. The island was even without roads
until the early 1970s, and the 15 km journey
from one side of the island to the other
involved a whole-day trek through the
mountainous central jungles.

Ko Samui has a population of about
fifty-five thousand (source: Samui Mayor's
Office) and is based primarily on a
successful tourist industry, as well as
exports of coconut and rubber.

It even has
its own international airport, Samui
Airport, with flights daily to Bangkok and
other major airports in Southeast Asia such
as Hong Kong and Singapore. Whilst the
island presents an unspoiled image to the
public perception, economic growth has
brought not only prosperity, but changes to
the island's environment and culture, a
source of conflict between local residents
and migrants from other parts of Thailand
and other countries.[2] Reflecting Samui's
growth as a tourist destination, the Cunard
ship MS Queen Victoria (a 2000-plus
passenger ship) docked at Samui during its
2008 world cruise.

Geography

Ko Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand,
about 35 km northeast of Surat Thani town
(9?N, 100?E). The island measures some 21
kilometres at its narrowest point, and 25 km
at its longest. It is surrounded by about
sixty other islands, which compose the Ang
Thong Marine National Park (Mu Ko Ang Thong
National Park) and include other tourist
destinations (Ko Phangan, Ko Tao and Ko Nang
Yuan).

The island is roughly circular in shape, and
is about 15 km across. The central part of
the island is an almost uninhabitable
mountain jungle, Khao Pom, peaking at 635 m.
The various lowland areas are connected
together by a single 51 km road, running
mostly along the coast to encircle the bulk
of the island.

The old capital is Nathon, on the southwest
coast of the island. It remains the major
port for fishing and inter-island
transportation. Nathon is the seat of the
regional government, and the true commercial
hub of the Samui locals. It has a charming
pace, and is almost small enough to walk
everywhere. The old Chinese shop houses
along the middle street whisper of an exotic
history.

Each of Samui's primary beaches is now also
nominally considered as a small town, due to
the number of hotels, restaurants and
nightlife that have sprung up in recent
years.

Economy

Historically the island's economy has been
based around subsistence agriculture and
fishing, with coconuts as the main cash
crop. From the 1980s onwards, tourism has
become an economic factor and is now the
dominant industry. The construction of a
stable, high-speed internet connection in
recent years has also made the island a
feasible location for IT-based enterprises,
which are beginning to provide a certain
degree of economic diversity. The island's
climate and accessibility make it
particularly attractive for international
investors.

Local culture
Although Ko Samui is in southern Thailand,
where Islam has a strong influence, the
original inhabitants of the island, known as
'Chao Samui', are predominantly Buddhist. In
the past, most of the locals made their
living in the coconut farming business.
Nowadays, however, most work in jobs related
to tourism.
Many locals have become wealthy from selling
off land they have owned for decades. As a
result of the extensive development of the
island, many Thai-Chinese have come to Samui
from the capital of Bangkok (Khung-Thep).
Most of the manual labor needed to keep up
with the islandís growth has been provided
by people native to the countryís poorer
north-eastern region. As a result, there is
a wide cross section of economic classes on
the island.

The south of Thailand is a melting pot of
Buddhists, Thai Chinese, Muslims and
traditional sea-faring gypsies. Ko Samui
does not seem to suffer from the religious
tensions in communities along the southern
border of Thailand, and in general the
locals live in harmony. Outside of the
tourist areas, the Thai language is spoken
with a thick Southern dialect which is even
difficult for northern Thais to understand.
With this broad mixture of cultures, Ko
Samui is always celebrating some tradition
or another, including western.

Events and Festivals

Buffalo Fighting Festival One of the
best-known festivals on Ko Samui is its
Buffalo Fighting Festival, which is held
on special occasions such as New Years
Day and Songkran. Unlike Spanish
bull-fighting, the fighting on Ko Samui
is fairly harmless. The fighting season
varies according to some ancient customs
and ceremonies. The buffalo are
beautifully decorated with ribbons and
gold-painted leaves. Before the contest
which lasts just two rounds, monks spray
them with holy water. The winning owner
typically takes home millions of baht in
prize money.

Ten Stars Samui Art Party A recurring
cultural event bringing together art
lovers, local Thai and international
artists and their new, original
artworks. These bi-monthly events,
hosted at various high-end resorts and
other 5-star venues on the island, focus
on building the art community on Ko
Samui with presentations by featured
artists.

Bowling Championship This is an annual
bowling event held in May every year.

Avis Samui Tennis Open The annual
amateur tennis tournament held in July.

The Fisherman's Village Festival This
five-day festival is celebrated with
fun, music and food. The music is
usually played by well-known artists and
food tents sell inexpensive cuisine
provided by local hotels.

Triathlon Event The International
Triathlon Union organizes this event
every year. This event in Ko Samui draws
more than five hundred participants from
around the world. The event attracts
competitors and visitors as well as
locals. This event actually has never
taken place and was promoted via a
website only.

Samui Regatta The Samui Regatta is a
sailing tournament, held every year. The
tournament is internationally known and
competitors come from as far away as
Australia, Singapore, Japan and China.
This event, for boats of all sizes and
shapes, began in 2002.